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'f @Jan. 9, 1923..

L. l; HHNTZ.

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Jan. 9, 1923. 1,441,854.

L. l. HEINTZ OOOOOOOOOOOOOO Y.

Jan. 9, 1923;

L. l. HEINTZ.

AUTOMOBILE BODY.

5 SHEETSQHEET 3.

FILED A PR. 21. 1922.

.IIHVII A v n INVENTORt j@ A TTORNEY GMW L. HEINTL AUTOMOBILE BODY.

Jan., 9, 1923.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 4..

FILED APR. 21.1922.

A TTORNE Y L. l. HIINTZ.

AUTOMOBILE BODY.

F1LED APR.21.1922.

Jan. 9, 1923.

ATTORNEY nails entering the wooden posts. ln this construction l. 'Fashion the metal sill in smh a way that its outer surface serves as body panel portions under the doorways. Yin coinbination with the above body instruct-ion. l preferably provide a door the hinges ci which may be secured to an adjacent wooden post of the frame.

In order to obtain a light and sturdy door which will be noiseless upon being closed, l construct the 'frame of the door ot wooden trame pieces, preferably secured together at the corners by sheet metal corner boxes, the frame pieces being; preterably tapered and being wedged and locked into suitably arranged sockets in the corner boxes. The door is finished byattaching sheet metal outer panel to this trame. The wooden frame members afford convenient means for attaching` upholstery or an inner finishing; piece to the door by means of screws or nails. The door hinges and other mechanism mayv also be readily and securely attached to the wooden iframe members, it desired.. l aise contemplate in accordance with my invention to construct the body of separate uniform parts which can be made separately in quantities and are adapted to be ready `for assembling` into a body without requiring further machining` or finishing. Such parts .may include the side sills either with post sockets integral or with attachable post sockets; the posts; the seat units; vthe cross members; the body panels; and the doors; either assembled or not7 as desired.

The invention accordingly consists in the features ot construction, combinations of elements and arrangement ot parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth and the scope ot the application of which will be rindicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings7 wherein is shown certain possible embodiments of this invention Figr. l is a perspective view ot an automobile body embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a body frame embodying' invention; Fig. 3 is a side view of a door embodying my invention: Fig. 4lis a sectional view oi a detail oi the construction ot the door, and is taken on the line i1-4 ot Fig'. 3; Figa 5 a View similar to the view shown in Fig. r showingA a modified torni of door construction; (i, 7, 8 and 9 are views similar to that shown in Fig. el, but' are taken respectively on the lin-es 6 6, 17m?, 8 8 andQ-Q of Fig. 3; Fig. l0 yis a ver tical section through the side sills of the body Jframe showing a cross member and the method of connectingthe cross member to the side sills; F ig. l1 is a sectional view taken on the line 11n-11 of Fig. i0; F

to 2Q inclusive are sectional views illistrating modified methods or" attaching a cross member to ya side sill, 'Fig'. 13' being taken on the line 15E- 13 ot' Fig. l27 Fig. beingV taken on the line lai-'l5 oi Fig'. le, F1o. l? being taken on the line l-li' oi'wiig. 16, and Fig. 20 bein@v taken on the linel 20 20. ot Fig', 1S); .f io's. 2l. 227 23 and 2li are sectional views showingA the method of connecting a side sill, a cross member and a post, 22 being taken on the line 224-22 of 2l, and Fig. 24: being taken on the line 21ls-2l of Fig. 23; Fig. 25 is a side. view ot a modilied form or door; Fig. 26 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 26-26 of Fig. 25; Figs. 27; 28 and 29 are sectional views ot' details of construction taken respectively on the lines 27--21 2S-28 and 29--29 of Fig. 25.

mimil r reference characters to similar parte throughout the vi ws ot the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, the completed body A (shown in Fig. l) is constructed by combining a body iframe portion B (Fig. 2) with the necessary pillars or vposts C, doors l), bodypanels E, and such other parts as it be desired to include lin the body.

The body frame B primarily provides the two side sills l comprising sheet metal bent into channel form., with the open portion or the channel uppermost, and horizontal flanges 2; 3, extending respectively trom the top of each or the side walls l and oi' the channelj as shown in Figs. 14C and i9, except where the sill members l extend across a doorway, and at these places the upper flange 2 is extended inwardly and downwardly, as at 6, and then inwardly again.y as at 7; to term a closed box girder as shown `in Fig. l0. rlhe body #llame also includes suitable cross members 8 extending horizontally between lthe two sill members l at any chosen points. One of these cross members connect the rear ends of the side sills 1, and may be ot similar construction thereto. l preferably construct the cross members S oft sheet metal, attachine; the ends to the and 3 ot the side sills l by means oi" bolts7 although the attachment may he made hy means ot weldingV or otherwise. ii? desired. The cross members 8 are preferably channel shaped in cross sectiony and at their ends preferably provided with vertical flange portions to permit of their being bolted to the inner side wall of the sill in. addition to being; bolted to the flange portions of the sill. In Figs. 10 and ll l have lillustrated a method of attaching` a cross member substantially channel shaped in cross section to the side sills where they pass under a doorway. As shown, the the cross member opens downliO vided `with vertical flange portions 11 which are bolted, as at 12, to the inner Wall portion 5 of the side sill 1. If a cross member similar in shape to the member just described is to be attached to the side sills at places. otherthan at thedoorways,

I may use "the method illustrated in 'Figs 19 and 20. Here I attach the vertical flange portions 1l `tothe inner wall 5 ofthe sill 1 by inea-ns of bolts as before, but instead of as formerly, I extend the same, asat 9a,`to provide an upwardly extending flange 9b which abut-s against the inner surface of the wall 4t of thesill 1, and to which it may be bolted as at 10a.

It a stronger and sturdier cross member is desired., I may fashion the cross member so as to be Substantially in the form illustrated in 13 land 15, and in this enib-odimeiit` the top portion 9 of the cross member Smay Vbe disposed substantially at the saine height with the top of the sill member l.. This crossmember 8 is provided at its end s with four vertical flange portions, two of which, 13, are adapted to be bolted, as tr 14, to the inner wall 6 of the sill 1, where it passes across a doorway, the two other flanges, 15, of the cross" member@ bein bolted, at "i6, to the inner wall 5 of thev sill. If .this type ot cross member isbto be joined to a sill 1 where it does not cioss a doorway, the `lower 'vertical flanges 15 of the cross member S may Y be bolted,`as at 1.6, (Figs. 141 and l5) to the inner wall 5 of the sill 1 as formerly, but the lanoes` 13 are omitted and instead the o 7 7 upper portion 9 is bolted, as at 17, to the l J1 l l.' r f' 1 ,L iA i .1 fl e' flange C) oI the sll 1, and the int rimedii horilaontaltlanges `18 of the'cross member 8 are bolted, as at 19, to the flange 3 of the sill.. If desired, the cross member 8 may be attached to the side vsills in many other ways. As a further modification of this'constriiction, I have shown a cross member Ushaped in cross section and attached to the side sill in Figs. 16, 17 andl. As shown, the cross member is placed with the opening' of the channel uiiporniost, and is provided with two oppositely disposed horizontal flanges 20 which are bolted, as' at 2l, to the flanges T and B of the side sill 1., where it crosses a doorway. In addition, the endsof the cross member in ay be provided either with a lpair of vertical flanges 22 which are bolted, as at IQ3, to the inner wall 5 ofthe sill 1, and as shown in'Fig. 17, or the end ofthe cross member may be provided with a single verjtical flange 22a which is bolted, 'as at 29, to

the inneriwall 5 ofthe sill. The crossl ineinbers may also be attached to the side sills wherea post is present. If the cross member (Figs. 23 and flange 22 which is bolted, as `at `either integral with or attachable to the to the inner wall 33 of the post soclrct, and al 'further connection may be obtained by supl plying a pair of separate brace members 26 attached at one end', s at 2i', to the horizontal flanges QOfof the member 8, and at the other end, as at 28, to the outer wall l of the si( e sill l. @ne member 26 is preferably positioned on each side of the post. Another method oi'ric-complishingthe connection between the .s sill and pest and a cross `member may be accomplished by providing a pair of angle plates or brackets 29 9.4L), and boltinggl than, at 30, on opposite sides of the lower ends of post. These brochet pieces 2 are shaped so as to entend alongside of vertical side portions of a Ltshaped cross member to which theyI are respectirely bolli-5., as at oi.. end of the bottom portieri of the cross meniber 8 may be turned. up to form th ertical to the inner wall of the post socket as rinerljf.

It is obvibi s that cross members which are not channel shaped in cross section may be employed as well. For instan'cmthej/ may be T-shaped or angle shaped in cross section. These cross members do not have to he tremendously strong. They need not be stronger than door posts. lilornnoer, they need not be provided withthe illustrated verticalflang'es at their ends, nor be attached to the horizontal flanges of tho body shell, unless so desired, since many other methods oli attaching cross members to sills of this character may be devised.

Special l the upper horizontal flange 2 of the side sills provide 'threshold strips at the doorways, and alsothat thev oiiter side Ll oit lthe side sills servos as a body panel beneath the doorways. By this construction the necessity of using,- a number of .separate pieces to .form a finished threshold andbody panel at the doorway is avoided, and as heretofore `required in the `construction of automobile bodies` y As above pointed. out, it is my intention `to assodato wooden posts with the side sills,

andv to this 1 and adapted to receive and firmly retain the wooden posts C. These socket pieces 3l may suitably be channel Shaped in cross section. Preferably asoclizet 81 is placed at each side of a doorway witl the open partof the channel extending.` toward tio doorway. The outer side of the soclret 3l may be welded. or otherwise secured l'o the inner surface of the enter wall el of the side sill andthe inner wall 33 of the soci-ict piece m. be provided with. horizontally extending ilange 3l which is superimposed over the flange 3 of the side sill and is welded or bolted` thereto. After the wooden posts C have been firmly seated in their sockets, they may he secured in place by means of one or more bolts extending through the two sides of the socket and the post. rlhe sockets may also be provided with suitably placed perforations, as at 36, for nails or screws by which. panels or upholstery may be secured to the post C in spite of the presence of a socket piece.

il support 37 for front seat may be provided either integrally oined to the side sills or otherwise attached thereto. A suitable seat support may be constructed. easily and economically of sheet steel shaped to .form a horizontal `portion 38 and vertical portion 39 extending,` across the front edge of the seat support, and a horizontal flange 40 extending outwardly from the lower edge of the vertical portion 39. This seat support may be readily and lirmly attached to the side sills by positioning the same with the flange 40 at the opposite sides of the seat support resting` upon the superimposed flanges 7 and 3 of the side sill to which the flange 40 may be bolted or welded as desired. The back seat support 41 may suitably comprise aA flat horizontal member 42, resting at its rear and side edges vupon the flange 3 of the two side sills and rear cross member 8, to which the portion 42 may be secured by bolting or welding. A suitable 4heel-board may be provided by a sheet metal piece 43 extending across the front of member 42, and at its ends 44 laterally toward the front of the body. This piece is preferably provided with a ila-nge 45 extending horizontally and resting on t-he flange 3 of the side sills to which it may be secured by bolting or welding. Preferably, the top edge of the piece 43 also welded to the front kedge of the member 42.

Having now provided the side sills, the cross members, posts, and the seat supports, the body may be 'completed by attaching suitable body panels, including side portions, seat backs and cowl to the structure. lt is readily apparent that these may bel attached to the wooden posts by means of screws and nails. although any other suitable method may be used., if desired, rllhereafteig suitable ipholstery may be attached in any one of a number of well known ways, although preferably the upholstery is attached directly to the inner surfaces of the wooden posts C or wooden cross members C by means of screws or nails. The body may then be completed by applying doors thereto.

.4L novel and improved form of door ma7 be constructed by supporting an outer door panel upon a frame constructed of wooden frame members 47 secured together by sheet metal corner boxes 48. Each corner box 48 is arranged to provide two tapered sockets to receive correspondingly tapered ends of adjacentframe members. As shown, the corner boxes 48 may be formed by providing a channel shaped member 49, ,preferably having'an outwardly extending flangeO to which the inner surface of the door panel. 46 may be Welded, asat 51. An auxiliary channel shaped member 52 maybe provided interiorly of the channel member 49 .to provide the Ltapered vchamber 53 into which the end of a pestis adapted to be wedged. The sides of the auxiliary channel member 52 preferably abuts the two sides of the channel member 49 and is secured `thereto `by welding. After a post has been vseated in its socket, it may be lirmly secured therein by punching barbs54 into the wooden posts from .the .auxiliary member 52. Obviously, the shape of the corner vooxes 48 may be varied considerably and the door panel 46 may be attached to these corner boxes in many different ways. For instance, as shown in Fig. 4, to form a straight tapered surface at the outer edge of the door, the channel piece 49 may have its outer edUe bent inwardl as at 55 and the edge of the door panel 46 may be extended over this portion 55 and welded to the corner box, as at 56. 1f desired, the portion 55 of member 49 may becurved and the edge of the door panel 46 may be likewise curved and welded thereto, as siown at 57 see Fig. In another modification (Fig. 6) the outer side 55 of the corner box may be stepped, as at 58, to conform with the door jamb. ln this case the door panel 46 may be bent over and welded to a flange 59. If

desired. the flange 59 lmay be omitted, and in place thereof a separate metal plate 60 (Figs. 7 and 8) may be secured to the wooden frame member, as by means of screws 61, and the door panel 46 be bent over the edge of plate 60 and welded thereto.

As a modification. of the above door constructioml may provide a post receiving member 62v extending across the entire top of the door and a complementary post receiving member 63 .extending` entirely across the bottom of the door. rlhe vertical portions of the door frame are formed by a pair of wooden posts 64, the ends of which are seated. respectively in sockets provided by the upper and lower members 62 and 63. rlhe sockets are preferably formed by outer channel shaped. members 49 and auxiliary channel shaped members 52 forming tapered chambers for the ends of the posts in accordance with the construction described above. The outer panel 46 of the door may be attached to the socket memberl 62 and 63 in the manner described above in connection with the attachment of the panel 46 to the corner boxes 48. Preferably the members 62 and 63 contain and enclose a wooden strip 65 and are perforated, as at 66, in order to permit of upholstery or of an interior door panel to ifi/.insee` wood, not only on the door but also on the body proper. A door of either of the types above described will be noiseless in` operation, will not require muffling to prevent production of a metallic sound upon being closed, and locks,hinges, etc., may be attached to woodwork without forfeiting the advantages obtained by -the presence of strong steel corner boxes. The door can be made without the useof glue and is even stronger than a wooden door.

From the above description it willbe readily apparent that the elements entering into the construction ofl the body may be produced separately. and very economically inquantities. These units can readily be assembled later, requiring no additional finishing or machining. No `glue enters into the'manufacture or assembly of the above construction, while at the same time wood is employed'where its use is more desirable for strength and noiselessness and other` reasons than metal. By veliminating the use of glue entirely, one of the most troublesome and uncertain operations in the building of automobile bodies is avoided, and thereby considerable time is saved, since it avoids the necessity of waiting for glue to dry in proceeding withthe manufacture and assembly of the body. The employment of the metal parts in the above disclosed construction also enhances uniformity in the location of the various members.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof,`it is intended that all matter contained in ythe above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. i

A sill construction to some extent similar tothe sill construction disclosed herein is disclosed and claimed in my copending application Serial No. 506,940, Automobile body frame, filed October 11, 1921.

What I claim is y l. In a frame for automobile bodies, in combination, two spaced, parallel, `metal sill members, one at each side of said frame, cross-members extending between and attached to said sills, vertically disposed wooden posts, and means, comprising sockets integral with said sill members, for attaching said posts tol said sill members.

2. In an automobile body, in combination, a frame comprising two spaced, parallel, metal sill members, one at each side of said frame, cross-members extending between and attached to said sills, vertically disposed wooden posts, and means, comprising sockets integral with said sill members, for attachingsaid posts to said sill members, and body panels secured to said sill members.

. 3. In an automobile body having a doorway on each side thereof, in combination, a pair of metal side sillinembers, each shaped 'to form a closed box beneath a doorway, the

outer wall of each box constituting body panelling, the upper wall of each box constituting a threshold strip for a doorway, and the inner portion of each box having two superimposed horizontal flanges, and across member extending between said two sill members and secured to said flanges of each member. v

4l. In an automobile body frame, in combination, a metal side sill having an outer wall land an inner wall, and a metal cross member having vertical :flanges abutting and secured to said Walls. l

5. In an automobile body frame, in combination, a metal side sill rhaving an outer wall and an inner wall and flanges extending substantially horizontally from the top of said walls, and a cross member having substantially horizontal portions secured to said flanges. l

6. In an automobile body frame, in combination, a metal side sill having an outer wall and an inner wall and flanges extending substantially horizontally from the top of said walls, a cross member having substantially horizontal portions secured to said flanges, and having a vertical flange abutting and secured to said inner wall.

7. In an automobile body, in combination, metal side member shaped to form a closed box rwith two superimposed horizontal flanges, anda cross member secured to said flanges.

8. In an automobile body, in combination, a metal side member shaped to form a closed box with two superimposed horizontal flanges', a cross member having a horizontal portion secured to said flanges and having a vertical flange abutting and secured to an inner wall of said box.

9. In an automobile body, in combina-tion, a metal side sill member shaped to form a closed box, the outer wall of said box Comprising a body panel,the upper wall of said box comprising` a: threshold strip for a doorway, andthe inner portion of said box having two superimposed horizontal flanges and a cross-member secured to said flanges.

`l0. In an automobile body frame, in combination, a metal side sill, a post socket supported on said sill, a Wooden post supported in said socket, a cross-member, and means for connecting' said member and sill together, said means comprising a vertical flange on said cross member bolted to an inner wall of said'soclret and a bracket memberbolted to an outer wall of said side sill and to said cross member.

il. ln an entomobile body frame, in combinati-fm, a metal side sill, a post socket supported on said sill, a Wooden post supported in said socket, a cross-member, and means ior connecting,Y said member and sill together, said means comprising a Vertical iienge' on said cross -i'nember bolted to an inner will of said Socket and a bracket member bolted to said post and to said cross member.

l2. in a door for automobile bodies, in ronibiimtion, a metal corner member comprising;` a channell shaped member, and-en auxiliary channel shaped imember seated in the channel ot said member' and iloriningij therewith a tapered socket 'for a Wooden post.

1.23. in a door 'Lor automobile bodies, in eombination, a metal corner member comu' s channel shaped member, and an ary channel shaped member seated in channel ot said first member and forming` therewith antapered socket for a Wooden 1,441,8:wiv

for holding said post securely in saidl socket.

14. In a door for automobile bodies, in combination, Wooden freine members secured together by metal socket members, outer flanges on said soclret'members, and an outer door panel marginally interlocking with und secured to said flanges.

l5. in a door for automobile bodies, in combination, a door trame comprising a pair of spaced metal members and a pair of spaced Wooden members extending betjfreen and secured to saidmetal members, an outer door panel secured to said metal members, wooden lling strips enclosed by seid metal members, and perforations in said metal members exposing said Wooden filling strips for the engagement of screws or nails.

This specification signed andrwitnessed this lthday of April, 1922;

Leo I. HEiNTz.

wWitnesses VALTER H. DARDENGY, D. J. KENNEDY. 

